New Orleans area police briefs for March 9, 2013

New Orleans area police briefs for March 9, 2013

Coroner IDs man killed in accident

New Orleans — A 27-year-old man who died after crashing into a parked car on Friday morning was identified by the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office.

Juan Hughes died from injuries received after the crash in the 7900 block of Mercier Street in eastern New Orleans. The accident was reported shortly before 1 a.m., police said.

Hughes was driving in a white Chevrolet Cobalt when he drifted to the side of the road and collided head-on with a parked truck.

Hughes’ vehicle burst into flames upon impact, and a concerned civilian rescued him from the car.

He died at the scene. Police have not determined the case of the crash.

Search continues for missing teacher

New Orleans — Police will search Saturday for any clues about the disappearance of local schoolteacher Terrilyn Monette near Lakeview and City Park.

New Orleans police said they will be assisted by officials from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, along with dozens of uniformed officers and mounted police.

Authorities are inviting any volunteers who want to participate in the search to come out to the City Park driving range at 10 a.m.

Dancer reported missing since Feb.

New Orleans — A recent transplant from Atlanta has been missing since late last month after her mother saw her headed to a bar.

Nicki Sharpton, 37, was last seen on Feb. 23 around 2 p.m. in the 700 block of St. Louis Street, according to New Orleans police. Sharpton, who works as a dancer on Bourbon Street, was headed to a bar in the area. She is 5-feet-6-inches tall, about 140 pounds and was last seen wearing a black shirt and pants along with a black and blonde wig.

Police say man shot after family dispute

New Orleans — A family dispute in New Orleans ended with man getting shot last month, and police on Thursday arrested a suspect in the case.

According to court records, the victim and the other man agreed to fight to settle a dispute over how Jefferson spoke to the victim’s daughter. The records say that Jefferson claimed that the shooting was accidental, but police found evidence that they say contradicted that claim.

Police seek suspects in $100,000 burglary

Gretna — A Gretna man was robbed of $100,000 by two men who police believe stalked him to break into his car.

Gretna Police say the incident occurred Feb. 11 in the 500 block of Gretna Boulevard. Police have photos of the two men breaking into the victim’s vehicle and stealing the cash.

Police believe they followed the victim throughout the metropolitan area before committing the burglary.

One suspect is described as a white man, 50 to 60 years old about 170 to 180 pounds with gray hair wearing a black coat, plaid shirt and blue jeans. The other man was about 30-year-old, a white man, roughly 5-feet, 6-inches tall with dark hair, a sweat shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with information can contact Gretna police at (504) 366-4374.

Police come across $30,000 in drug bust

Gretna — Two Gretna store owners were arrested on Thursday after police say they found hundreds of packages of synthetic marijuana at their convenience store.

Police arrested Nhan Thanh Truong, 38, and Pham Van Trang, 38, after police say there were caught with 314 packages of “Super Nova” along with pre-made kits for smoking crack cocaine. Police also located more than $30,000 in cash. The West Bank Major Crimes Task Force handled the investigation.

Man accused in assault on woman

Metairie — The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested a Metairie man on Thursday after authorities say he pulled a gun on a pregnant woman who was fighting with some of his relatives.

Demario Tuco, 22, also is accused of threatening to kill the woman and hitting her in her stomach. Tuco was booked with aggravated battery and aggravated assault after being arrested in the 200 block of North Laurel Street.

According to an arrest report, the victim is eight-months pregnant and said Tuco put the gun to her head before using it to strike her stomach on Wednesday. When police found him on Thursday, he made the death threats, the report said.

Police: Burglar tried to comfort victim

Metairie — A Harvey man is accused of burglarizing a friend’s apartment and then inviting himself over later to comfort the victim.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office booked Corey Douglass with simple burglary and illegal possession of stolen property Thursday. According to an arrest report, Douglass broke into a female friend’s apartment and stole several electronic items. The incident was captured on a security camera at the complex.

However, shortly after the burglary, Douglass called the victim and offered to come over and comfort her about losing her stuff. She invited him over but called police to meet him there. Police later recovered the victim’s property at Douglass’ home, the report said.

Man drags deputy after shoplifting

Jefferson — A 49-year-old man is accused of taking a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s deputy on a wild ride Thursday after the deputy tried to stop him from stealing meat.

According to an arrest report Dennis Clark dragged a deputy several feet after the man tried to stop him after he walked out of a supermarket with a shirt full of meat. The deputy said that Clark actually grabbed him, and held on while driving away. Clark was arrested by deputies responding to the scene after a short chase.